A Typical Weekend

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
- Robert Frost-

Wa'ahila Trail

It's the weekends that I have really grown to enjoy here in Hawaii. Actually, that can be said for everybody in my house. It usually starts with some sort of festivities at someones house on Friday night. Most go to town (Honolulu), yet we chose to stay at home. We invited our newly married couple Nicole and Doug Dye, friends of ours who did a fantastic job of introducing us to the island, over last night and we all enjoyed some "talk-story" (conversation in pigin), a few drinks, and Guitar Hero. Our friend Nicole was in a trance as she rocked out Go-Go's "We Got the Beat" about twelve times. After they left Baum, Kristine and myself duked it out in Rummy 500 till 3am (Congrats Baum!). The weekend had unofficially begun.

Our Favorite Farmer's Market

The weekend doesn't officially start until we go to the Farmer's Market near Diamond Head. Truthfully, the weekend does not feel the same if we don't make it to the market. With $20 bucks in hand and 30 minutes to go (The market goes from 8am-11am and I never get there early enough) I'm in my element! I run around trying to get enough food for the week and snag the best deals. With fresh mangoes, pineapples, hibiscus ginger juice, tropical flowers, deep fried green tomatoes, oh how the list goes on. I think you get the point. Anyways, the market is just the start. After working all week we need to go release the stored up tension and there is no other better way than to go hiking.

Kristine enjoying the wind and view up at St. Louis Heights

Not far from the market you can find one of the best hikes on the island. I have only been on a few but it's hard to imagine many are better than the Wa'ahila Ridge Trail in St. Louis Heights. Bernice, Kristine and I ventured two hours up and one hour down this amazing trail. I had done it once with the previously mentioned Dye's, but it still takes my breath away as I am sure it did Bernice's and Kristine's.

The trail starts off dry then turns to muddy brush the rest of the way up. The two girls marched right up the mountain leaving me in the dust to take pictures behind them. The vegetation, a mix between indigenous and invasive species, keeps you on you toes blocking the view until the most beautiful vistas.


A lone, native flower. It makes you think, "Can I stand out, be different, and survive when everyone around me are fighting for the same thing as me?"

The first time I did this hike with the Dye's we came across the lone hiker that we saw on our way up. At one of the look-outs we chatted with him, a local, about some of the vegetation along the trail on our way up. "Most of the plants are invasive species along the edge of the trail." he began with a sly grin on his face. "They kind of take over and squeeze out the other plants. No Respect." he said as he pointed with a limp wrist at the plants at our knees. He continued, "You can tell which plants are natives. They are kind of on their own. They only take the space needed for them to grow and they respect all the other plants around them unlike the invasive species." To some his description of the plants may seem straight forward, but to those who live here it's the ever present issue of the U.S. occupation in this remote area. It's always present, even on a hike, that you are an outsider.


Let's play: Where's Justin!? Answer: Far from Home

The hike pushed my limits slightly today. The girls kept the pace up as we ran down the mountain. It makes me think, "When am I going to start training again?" Only time will tell.

Ode To My Furry Pal

The One. The Only. Kona.


Slightly pathetic, but yes, I do miss my furry friend Kona. She was all that and a bag of tricks. There are times when I brag that I once had the best cat that EVER lived. I think the last time I did that was just last week.

C'mon. How many cats do you know that played fetch? Or farted to the point where she could clear out a room full of people (If you don't believe me than ask C.T.)? Or who made such a mess every time she ate that people thought we had a dog?

Kona making a mess as usual.

Honestly, I will always remember her. I still speak about her like she was my child. She kind of was. First apartment with Kristine. She was the first pet that we could call our own (I didn't name her. That's another story). Not only was she the best kitty she was also the most beautiful.

Kona being mischievous.

And man could she ease the tension after a rough day. It's like she knew we needed someone to lighten up the atmosphere. Kona always came through when we needed her too.

A common scene in the Harris/Williams residence. Me talking to Kona and her pretending she understands English.

Sometimes I have to take a deep breath when I think about her. A cat might seem trivial or silly to some, but she was my friend and part of my small family. I know I cursed her out under my breath when she woke me up at 5:30 am (sometimes even earlier) on a work day when I could have slept until 6:30 am, but I would trade almost anything right now to have her running around the house here. I'm sure a few others would too (sorry Williams family!). Anyways, I miss you Kona!

The 0-cean Beckons

Powerful.




Beauty.




Essential.


These are the first few words that arose from the depths of my personal hard drive when I thought of the 0-cean. It's been one month and counting since our arrival to Hawaii and it's hard to escape the force that the 0-cean has on people here. For some it's a place of recreation and fun while for others it's a place of survival and necessity; although each end of the spectrum does not exist without containing a small portion of the other end.

I'm fortunate to be able to experience both sides of these two extremes. While you can see the "well-off" hitting up the streets of Honolulu and Waikiki with their Louis Vuitton bags, brand-new surf boards and $100 bathing suits you can also see, only 33 miles away, the people spear fishing and shore fishing in Wai'anae for their dinner. And can you guess what I see every morning and evening while going to and from work? Yup, I see the survival and necessity end of the spectrum. I'm O.K. with that though. It's more real. No fluff there. On this end of the spectrum you must pay your dues to the 0-cean; it's not just given to you. And this mantra applies to the residents as well.

The real reason for this post is that surfing has still eluded me here on the island. Every talks about it and I see it on occasion. I'm still waiting to purchase a vehicle and a darn mattress before I can fork over the dough for a long board. It's only a matter of time. Miss all those who are reading.